TRAVEL writer Ron Smith takes the road to discovery this time to Toledo in Spain, a labyrinth of old streets and alleys, narrow lanes and squares, which with its cathedral and castle, a link to a famous artist, opens the door to a fascinating history and culture. It also boasts the largest vineyard in the world and of course superb wines and food...
LUZERN (pronounced "lute-zern", not "loose sern" as we so often say) is such a picture-postcard pretty town; it is no wonder that it has been popular with tourists for a couple of hundred years.
BEFORE it was blown apart by the First World War, the mighty Austro-Hungarian Empire revolved around four magnificent cities – Vienna, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest.
HUNGARY seemed an interesting country to visit, and we decided to go there in a roundabout way. British Airways from Aberdeen via Heathrow to Vienna, and an overnight there, turned out to be a relaxing way to do it.
THERE is so much to see in Vienna that it is difficult to know where to start. Conveniently, there is the "Museum Quarter" where many of these attractions are grouped, so that it is possible to walk from one to the other, but they are so large that you could spend all day in just one.
THE origins of the National Railway Museum go back to 1866, when far-sighted Victorians knew that the world famous "Rocket" locomotive had to be preserved.
CENTRAL Switzerland is really beautiful. In the German speaking part of the country, it has many lakes and high mountains and the jewel in the crown is the historic town of Luzern, which sits astride the river Ruess, the outflow of the 23 kilometre long lake.
IN central Switzerland, the Rigi is quite justifiably known as the "Queen of the Mountains". It is a beautiful and special place. The 1800 metre high mountain dominates the lake at Luzern, and also the lake of Zug.
ROME – it's one of those places that everyone knows about and wants to visit at some time in their life. My wife Christine had wanted to go there all her life, and when Air Miles had a bargain spring offer, we took it!
LA Cure is in the mountains that separate Switzerland and France, where there is a pass with spectacular views over the lake of Geneva. The boundary between the two countries moved often.
BRUSSELS is not always a popular place. As the capital of the EU it gets the blame for everything – and yet there are several good reasons to go there, including a strong connection with North-east Scotland.
THE narrowing strip of land between the Lake of Geneva and the high mountains that separates Switzerland from France is the Jura region. It is French speaking but has the charm that is unique in Switzerland.
ON the French side of the mountains that form a border with Switzerland is Franche Comte, a fascinating area which includes the Jura, a place so obviously proud of its local produce. Shops sell a range of specialities that even includes Jura whisky – but it comes under the category of "products named Jura"; they don't actually claim this one is made in France.
THE town of Meiringen in Switzerland has adopted Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's hero Sherlock Holmes whose death in the final story was caused by him being thrown over the town's Reichenbach Falls by his archenemy Professor Moriarty (the Napoleon of crime).
DENMARK has the same size of population as Scotland, 5.5 million, and 1,154,000 live in the Copenhagen area. It is an interesting place to visit, with a daily direct flight from Aberdeen via SAS Airlines lasting 1 hour 45 minutes.
AMSTERDAM is a curious mixture of cultures, styles, customs and habits. It is world renowned for a liberal attitude that permits young men and women to offer themselves in scanty underwear in shop windows, and it has a reputation for drug taking. And yet it is not a free-for-all.
THE legend of the Loch Ness Monster knows no end. There have been rumours of a monster seemingly forever; in 565 AD St Columba is said to have seen Nessie. Seventy-five years ago a couple reported that they had spotted Nessie, and a Dr Wilson photographed it in 1934.
FOR us folk in the North-east of Scotland, travel to so many places involves a change of planes in the south... now there is another, more civilised way.
A VISIT to the Jungfrau mountain is one of the must-do trips, ever since we Brits invented tourism and discovered the Alps. Interlaken in central Switzerland has become well established and has a range of hotels from the superb Victoria-Jungfrau Hotel to backpacker hostels.
SLOVENIA is one of the smaller EU countries; it is about half the size of Switzerland and has a population of two million, with 269,000 people living in the capital Ljubljana.
CORSICA is a special place. It has a great sense of identity and pride; it is unlike any other part of France. It has the hot Mediterranean climate, but being an island the sea, glimpsed through narrow alleys in old cities and castles, keeps a freshness and lightness to the air.
